Sewn Together
by Aiden Ravelle
Summary: Naga asks Stinger with some help sewing


I feel like I might continue this but I'm not sure. It's a complete story as is though. I also had trouble deciding where to end it...

Anyway: Thanks for reading! I don't own sentai or its characters.

Stinger heard a knock on his door.

"Kotaro, I told you I would hang out later," Stinger opened the door.

He was surprised the figure in front of him was not his little bear cub.

"I can come back later if you are busy," Naga mentioned quietly.

"No, it's ok," Stinger replied, "So uh, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could teach me to sew," Stinger noticed the jacket in Naga's hands had a rip in it.

"I can just fix it for you," Stinger offered.

Naga shook his head, "If you teach me now, I won't have to bother you again."

Stinger frowned, "Why would you think it's a bother?"

"Balance says people don't like having to do extra work. Plus, you always seem busy with other things…"

"Naga, it's not a bother, I actually like sewing," the Sasori warrior admitted, "I can still teach you if you'd like."

Naga's face brightened up as he nodded enthusiastically.

"Come on in," Stinger opened the door and headed to his desk. He opened a drawer revealing tons of different colored threads.

"First you need to find a color closest to what you are fixing," Stinger instructed. Naga glanced through the pile and found one he thought would work.

"Now, you need to get the thread into a needle, and we have a handy tool for that," Stinger showed Naga how to pull the thread through.

Stinger grabbed two scraps from his drawer and threaded up his own needle, "You then fold the material like this," he showed Naga, "You might need some clips to hold the material in place," Stinger reached into a different drawer and opened a pack of unused clips.

Naga was about to ask why they were unused but then Stinger poked through his two pieces of material with the stinger on the end of his tail.

"Am I going too fast for you?" Stinger wondered, glancing at the ranger next to him.

Naga shook his head before Stinger commented, "You are very quiet when Balance isn't around."

Naga shrugged, "I am just paying attention. I can talk more if you want me to?"

Stinger shrugged back, "You just seem quiet is all. Do you want to talk more?"

Naga looked confused for a moment before admitting, "I normally only talk to Balance or Hammy. Even after everything I've learned and been through, I still have trouble reacting correctly sometimes so it's sometimes easier to not talk."

"I know I am the least social person on this ship, so believe me when I say, we are your friends. You don't need to worry about messing up around us, we'll just help you out. I don't expect a show, just be who you are, and if you want to talk, you can talk."

Naga had never realized Stinger actually cared about the group that much. He always seemed to be a loner, but maybe Champ and Kotaro helped him open up a bit more.

"Thank you," Naga gave a small and honest smile.

Stinger grinned as he remembered the material hanging on his tail, "Let's get back to this for now."

"There are different ways you can do this, but this is how I often fix things," Stinger showed Naga to loop the thread around.

Naga got to work fixing his jacket while Stinger undid the stitches in the scrap material.

"How did you find your kyutama?" Naga wondered.

"I found it on my planet, after my brother and Jark Matter attacked. The few of us that survived were scavenging around for anything that wasn't destroyed and it lit up and came to me. Soon after that the Commander came and took us off planet to safety and gave me a seiza blaster," Stinger recalled. He looked at Naga's stitching and commented, "Make them a little closer together," he grabbed Naga's hand to show him the spacing. Naga just kept looking at the jacket while Stinger slowly blushed at the contact he initiated.

"Do you miss your home?" Naga inquired further.

Stinger sighed, "I miss my family, but without Scorpio, it wouldn't be the same. The Orion is home now," he paused, "Do you miss your home?"

"I would like to go back eventually, but I have more to learn. I do miss the comfort of having a set schedule though," Naga admitted.

Stinger noticed Naga was done with the stitching, "Just pull this through and make a tight knot. Then cut the excess off."

Stinger realized he didn't have scissors so he just sliced the end off with his tail, "There, all done. What do you think?"

Naga looked at it almost surprised he had done it himself, "Thank you, Stinger."

"If you have something that needs more work or you want to learn other stitches, just let me know and I'll help you out," Stinger offered as Naga left the room.

A few days later, Stinger awoke to a knock on the door. He sleepily opened the door.

Naga blushed at the sight of Stinger shirtless wearing only a pair of sweatpants. He then remembered why he knocked on the door in the first place, "I know it's our day off, but Hammy and Spada were wanting to go shopping. There's a craft supply store nearby so I just wondered if you wanted to go or wanted me to pick up anything for you?"

Stinger nodded sleepily, "I need to get stuff to make Kotaro some new clothes. Plus, I'm running out of orange thread," he paused a moment trying to get his mind together, "Did Spada make coffee today?"

Naga nodded, "I can get you some if you'd like."

Stinger nodded, "I'll be down in 10 minutes, just fill this up," Stinger reached for a travel mug on his desk. Naga nodded and left. As he walked down the hall he smirked, noticing the mug was decorated by Kotaro, covered in blue bears and orange scorpions.

Exactly ten minutes later, Stinger entered the voyager bay, dressed and ready to go.

Upon arriving at the shopping plaza, Hammy ran off toward clothing stores while Spada went to a cookware shop. Naga and Stinger walked in silence on the way to the craft store, with Stinger occasionally sipping his coffee.

When they arrived at the store, Naga went off to collect his items. He picked out a black yarn with purple and silver sparkles, some thread that matched his clothes for future repairs, and a kit to learn to sew a stuffed animal. It was a snake of course.

Naga found Stinger in the material section, holding five different types of materials with his tail while he browsed through more with his hands.

"Do you need some help?" Naga gave a small chuckle at the sight in front of him.

Stinger handed the materials off to Naga, "Go to that counter and ask them to cut three yards of each."

Naga headed off and watched as the lady meticulously measured and tagged the prices on. Stinger came up with three more by the time she was finished with the first stack.

"What all are you making with that?" Naga questioned.

"Most of the time hand sewn clothes last longer than store bought. Kotaro will soon be grown out of his clothes so this darker material will be made into pants, while the rest will make new shirts. If there is extra material I might make his little brother something too," Stinger explained.

That night, Naga knocked on Stinger's door, "May I borrow a needle? The one with my kit broke…"

"Yeah no problem," he grabbed one out of the drawer but noticed band aids on Naga's fingers when he went to hand it to him.

"Did you hurt yourself sewing?" Stinger asked curiously.

Naga nodded sheepishly.

"Why don't you bring your project in here and we can work together? I'm working on Kotaro's pants right now. I have something that can help," Stinger smiled.

Naga quickly returned with a half made snake plush. Stinger handed Naga a thimble, "This will protect your finger."

Naga sat at Stinger's desk while Stinger went back to working on the bed. Naga was mesmerized by how quickly Stinger stitched up the denim pants.

"Are you going to work on your snake or are you just going to watch me?" Stinger joked.

Naga quickly went back to his project, "Who taught you to sew?"

"My mother taught us both before she died. I was very young but we had to care for ourselves," Stinger reminisced.

"We had certain roles on my planet, so only the people who made clothes knew how to sew," Naga explained, "I learned how to knit though while Balance and I were on a planet that focused on different crafts. I just bought some yarn to start on a blanket."

"I never learned how to knit, maybe sometime you can teach me?" Stinger stopped his sewing and looked toward Naga.

Naga looked a bit surprised but agreed, "If you want me to."

Stinger smirked, "You do show emotion, just subtly. Hanging out with you more, I've been noticing little things like how you have a surprised look which quickly disappears or how sometimes your eyebrows furrow when you are thinking."

Naga was unsure what to say so he just blushed while he focused on his sewing. Soon Naga filled the snake full of stuffing and finished sewing it up.

"Have a good night Stinger," Naga left the needle he was borrowing on the desk before he went to take his now plushy cuddly snake to his room.

The next morning Stinger was walking through the halls when he overheard Balance and Naga talking. He stopped around the corner to listen in.

"That's a nice snake you've made, Naga," Balance said excitedly.

"I know humans normally like plushy things for comfort…" Naga responded.

"You've been interested in them after we saw the big one on that planet where we stole that blue gem," Balance remembered, "I'm glad you finally have one."

Naga seemed like he was about to speak again but Stinger was distracted when he felt a tug on his jacket.

"Aniki, why are you spying on them?" Kotaro whispered.

Stinger shook his head and pushed Kotaro back down the hall, "I'm not spying on them."

"It sure looked like it," the younger one prodded.

Stinger rolled his eyes but gave a small smile, "I have new clothes for you to try on."

After trying on the clothes, which all fit perfectly, Kotaro and Stinger headed to the kitchen for lunch.

Balance and Naga were at one end of the table, while Lucky, Hammy, and Spada were next to them. There were spaces left over for the other Kyurangers, but Champ was at the other end of the table, so Stinger and Kotaro sat by him. Spada passed down the food and they quickly filled up their plates.

Kotaro told them what he'd been learning lately and Champ started telling them about some kind of project he was working on. Stinger was zoned out and kept glancing at the other end of the table. At one point he and Naga made eye contact and he quickly looked down at his food in embarrassment.

"Aniki?" Kotaro shook Stinger's arm.

"Hmm?" Stinger replied with a bite of food in his mouth.

"I asked you a question…"

"He looks distracted," Champ assessed.

"I'm sorry," Stinger swallowed his food and he turned completely so he was facing Kotaro, "What did you ask?"

"Jiro and I want to go see a movie, can you take us?"

"Have you finished all of your chores?" Stinger sounded like a strict parent.

Kotaro slouched a little, "Most of them…"

"Why don't you finish them when you are done eating and we can go tonight," Stinger suggested, "Did your uncle say Jiro can go?"

Kotaro nodded quickly, "I called him earlier, and the theater is in a safe area."

"Ok," Stinger agreed and turned back to his plate to finish his food. He kept glancing down at the other end of the table, catching bits and pieces of other conversations.

"You like Naga don't you?" Kotaro whispered toward the Sasori warrior.

Stinger's tail quickly but discretely flicked and aimed at Kotaro.

"You wouldn't sting me, Aniki," Kotaro said, "Hey Champ, Stinger has a crush."

"If you don't shut up, I won't take you to the movies," Stinger decided.

Kotaro quickly closed his mouth and took his empty plate to the sink. Champ just chuckled in response.

Later, Kotaro headed down to Earth after he finished his chores. About an hour later, Stinger met them in front of the movie theater. To his surprise, Naga was also with them.

"Hey," Naga greeted, "Kotaro said this movie looked good and asked me to come along."

"I don't even know what it's about," Stinger realized, "Kotaro just wanted me to go."

"Come on, we need to get snacks Aniki!" Jiro ran ahead.

Kotaro chased after him as Stinger and Naga followed.

Naga purchased a large popcorn for himself and the candies the younger boys wanted. Stinger insisted he did not want any snacks but purchased the tickets for everyone.

While Naga was waiting for his popcorn, the others found their seats. Stinger sat down first while the younger boys decided to sit a row ahead of him. Kotaro turned back around and winked at Stinger who was glowering at them.

Naga quickly spotted the group and sat down next to Stinger.

They were a bit early, the theater was mostly empty and the ads hadn't started yet.

"Do you watch movies often?" Naga asked before eating a bite of popcorn.

Stinger shook his head, "Only the ones Kotaro makes me watch."

Naga nodded, "I watch them often to analyze emotions. Hammy likes action stories, especially if they involve ninjas, while Balance enjoys love stories. He gets really emotional during movies, it's quite fascinating."

"Are there any you like?" Stinger wondered.

"I enjoy some of Balance's movies. Most of Hammy's show the bad guys stealing things in ridiculous ways, it's not how a real heist is done, so I don't entirely enjoy those. I've seen some where the characters sing a lot, those are entertaining."

Their conversation was cut off by the start of the commercials and dimming of the lights. They watched the movie in silence, with the occasional whisper from Jiro or Kotaro. It was an animated children's movie with some funny comedy scenes. At one point however the main character's mother died. Jiro was bawling as Kotaro tried to comfort him. Stinger reached forward and put his hand on Kotaro, who nodded that he was fine, just trying to calm his brother. Stinger looked to Naga and noticed one small tear rolling down his face. Naga wiped it away quickly and offered some popcorn to Stinger.

Stinger took a small handful which he ate quickly. He went to place his hand down on the arm rest between them and pulled away quickly and started blushing when he realized he had placed it on Naga's hand. He hoped Naga wouldn't notice the blushing in the dark of the theater.

Stinger had a few crushes in his past, even a few real dates, but no one that really stuck with him. He knew the signs though, especially the way his stomach felt full of nervous butterflies. He simultaneously felt like running away and spontaneously kissing Naga. He decided he was more practical than that and needed to just tell Naga how he felt.

The movie ended, popcorn and candies long gone, and the group filed out of the theater doors.

"My uncle is making our favorite meal for dinner!" Kotaro exclaimed as he checked his messages. He turned to Stinger and Naga, "Do you two want to come eat with us? He said he's making extra."

Naga and Stinger turned toward each other.

"I don't have anything better to do," Naga mentioned.

Stinger sighed, "I guess I don't either."

"Then it's settled! Let's go!" Kotaro led the group.

When they got near the house, Kotaro mentioned, "He says it will be another few minutes, so why don't we go to the park?" The park was a block from where his uncle lived so Kotaro and Jiro ran to play on the jungle gym.

There were no benches so Stinger sat on a swing. Naga soon sat in the swing next to him.

"Naga," Stinger started but his nerves got the best of him.

Naga glanced at Stinger waiting for him to continue. When he didn't Naga said quietly, "If you want to spend time with Kotaro alone I can go back to the ship."

Stinger was surprised and finally gave a little chuckle, "No, you are fine. I get to hang out with him a lot." He sighed, "You can just ignore this and pretend I never said it, but," he paused, "I have a crush on you."

Naga was silent for a few moments which made Stinger even more nervous. Finally, Naga said, "I tried to describe my feelings to Balance and he concluded that I like you as more than a friend," he paused a second, "I'm not sure what the social conventions were on your planet, but based off of Balance's love stories, one of us should ask the other out. Normally it's the male asking the female, but as we are both males, I am unsure of the protocol."

Stinger started laughing which confused Naga. "When it comes to love and relationships, it's not something that you can just follow a rulebook. Every person is different which makes every relationship different. What works for one couple doesn't work for every couple."

Naga thought for a while, before asking, "Well, I like you, and you like me, so should we go on a date?"

"Yeah," Stinger smiled.

Kotaro ran up, "Dinner is ready!"

Naga and Stinger smiled at each other before getting off the swing and following the sky blue ranger.

Later that night, Stinger got a message from the Commander saying that the whole team needed to bond, so they were going to have game night.

He wandered down to the recreation room where the Commander and Raptor were setting up. Spada and Hammy were setting snacks around the table. Stinger sighed and picked a seat at the end of the table. Soon Kotaro rushed in and sat next to him. Everyone else slowly came in. Balance and Naga were left with Naga sitting down next to Kotaro.

Kotaro quickly got up, "Switch me, Aniki."

"Why? You don't want to sit next to Naga?"

"I don't mind, but I thought you should sit next to your boyfriend," Kotaro said just a smidge too loudly. The group got silent and looked at Stinger and Naga.

Naga kept his cool demeanor and kept talking to Balance. Stinger on the other hand threatened, "If any of you say anything about this, I _will_ sting you."

Kotaro started laughing as Stinger switched seats with him.

"For one of our next dates," Stinger whispered, "Maybe you can teach me to knit?"

Naga nodded as he started reading the rules to the game. They ended up playing Apples to Apples which caused a lot of laughter between the group.

After the game, Kotaro was sent to bed with Champ making sure he made it there. Tsurugi, Lucky, Hammy, Spada, and Raptor were going on a mission in the morning so they needed rest. Garu followed Lucky out trying to talk to him more. The Commander disappeared, probably to sleep.

Naga had started organizing the cards to pack them up.

"Don't stay up too late, Naga. In the morning we have to finish the processor we were working on," Balance headed off toward his room. That just left Stinger and Naga.

"Kotaro is grounded," Stinger informed Naga.

"Were we supposed to hide that we were dating?" Naga questioned.

"No, I just thought we'd wait until we actually had been on a few dates," Stinger sighed as he slid Naga the box.

Naga placed his organized piles into the box as Stinger cleaned up the cups and plates everyone left on the table.

"Let's have a date right now," Naga suggested.

Stinger was surprised at the spontaneity, "What would we do? Don't you need to sleep?"

"I don't need that much sleep," Naga admitted, "We can talk and learn more about each other, or we could watch a movie, or go for a walk?"

Stinger grinned, "I have a perfect idea."

He led Naga to the Voyager Bay and into the Sasori Voyager. They didn't go far, but they flew far enough to be surrounded by stars.

"Now it's just us, floating here in space, with no one else to bother us," Stinger mentioned as he stopped his voyager.

"What now?" Naga wondered.

"You said we should learn more about each other," Stinger replied, "Ask me anything."

Naga and Stinger sat for hours talking. At one point Naga grabbed Stinger's hand and leaned against his arm. Eventually Naga started drifting off to sleep, his words slurring together. Instead of moving him, Stinger let Naga fall asleep against him. He softly reached down and kissed the top of Naga's head before setting an alarm on his seiza blaster and drifting off himself.

The alarm woke them both in shock. They glanced at each other and started giggling.

"I hope Spada makes coffee today," Naga yawned as Stinger started up his voyager.


End file.
